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Original NFL franchise that actually plays in the great state of New Jersey. Their former owner said the Washington Redskins were their greatest rival. Fans seem to think the Philadelphia Eagles fill that role.

My friend Brad Stratton (not pictured), a sportswriter turned educator, is back for some more guest prognosticating about his beloved New Yorker Football Giants who play the Washington Redskins this weekend in our native New Jersey.

WFY: Everything was lined up for the 2015 New York Football Giants. They were 5-5 coming out of the bye in a mediocre NFC East and in position to sneak into the playoffs, run the table and win the Super Bowl like they had 4 and 8 years earlier, respectively. Yet, they failed to do so, seemingly in defiance of the social contract. The New England Patriots must have been thrown off, because they couldn’t even beat the other Manning QB to advance to the Super Bowl. What went wrong?

BMS: The Giants’ defense was bad last year. They were 32nd in yards allowed, 32nd in passing yards allowed, and 30th in points allowed. Our pass rush was as nonexistent as you can get. In fact, our “savior” on defense returned in midseason with only eight and a half fingers. Yet if their games ended 75 seconds earlier last year, they would have been 11-5. The offense was Top 10, but the defense couldn’t hold a lead.

WFY: Big Blue is undefeated having beaten Dallas and New Orleans. How have they looked so far? Might Ben McAddo not be the next Ray Handley? How is Eli Manning doing with both Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham?

BMS: The front office poured a ton of money into the defense over the offseason, bringing in DE Olivier Vernon, DT Damon Harrison, and CB Janoris Jenkins from the Dolphins, Jets, and Rams, respectively. Pierce-Paul’s hand has healed enough to wear a special glove, so they gave him $10 million in a one-year deal. And those investments have, so far, paid off. There is a legitimate pass rush. The secondary is being left out to fend for themselves. The run defense has been outstanding. The Cowboys’ offensive line might be the best in football, but highly-touted rookie Ezekiel Elliott only averaged 2.55 yards a carry. Last week, the Saints only managed 41 yards rushing.

Definitely, one of the feel good stories so far has been the return of Victor Cruz. He hadn’t played since.Week 8 of the 2013 season, when he torn his patella tendon (imagine your knee cap going into your thigh). Last season, he struggled with a persistent calf injury that kept him sidelined all year, and on top of that, he’s about to turn 30. The odds were he might be done, and when he dealt with a groin issue during training camp, it looked that way. But he had the winning touchdown catch against Dallas, and made a huge sideline catch against New Orleans that set up the winning field goal.

And no, I would not compare McAdoo to He Who Must Not Be Named. McAdoo has been running the offense for two years, and running it well. You Know Who looked like an incompetent accountant.

WFY: How much are you looking forward to Beckham vs. Josh Norman?

BMS: Beckham is interesting. He’s played fairly well, but nothing like what we’re used to. One play before Cruz’s big catch against the Saints, he dropped an easy touchdown catch. He hasn’t found the end zone yet. His yards after the catch haven’t really been there. And then he’s got Josh Norman this weekend. I don’t think they will get as animated as last year, but Norman has proved able to get inside Beckham’s head, so we’ll see.

WFY: Now onto something important, uniforms. White pants and white shoes at home? Ugh. If they are going that direction, better go all the way and drop the gray striping and gray facemask too. On the other hand, the Color Rash uniforms are basically 1980s whites (sans blue socks) and GIANTS on the helmet and you seem pretty excited about it. Do you want want them to dump the gray completely? I love the current roadies.

BMS: I am beyond elated that the color rush jerseys are essentially the 1980s uniforms. For a while, the word out of the Giants was that we would never see the old GIANTS helmets again. Instead we got the ugly red jerseys, and I was frankly worried about what the color rush jerseys would look like. For the regular uniforms, I’m indifferent about white vs. gray pants. I like both.

WFY: Have you seen the Timeline episode, Jersey Guys? Being a Jersey Guy, did you enjoy it? Have you talked to older Jersey Guys, who were around when the move happened about it? I have seen bits and pieces of it (hasn’t made it to youtube in its entirety) and enjoyed what I saw.

BMS: I have only seen a little bit of Jersey Guys. We got rid of cable back in December, so I wasn’t able to see it the first time. I did manage to see some of Jersey Guys on the net on Monday night, but it was on late and I fell asleep in the middle. It was a dick move by Ed Koch to not let the Giants go down the Canyon of Heroes in ’87 (editor’s note: Brad did finally get to a ticker tape parade in 1999 for the Yankees. Sort of). I did enjoy A Football Life: Bill Parcells.

WFY: I’m skeptical the burgundy and gold can put it together and beat a good team having been dominated by Sam’s Steelers (at home) and losing to Dallas. I’m going with Giants 24-17, what about you? I also think the Giants should take the division and I’m not saying this to jinx you.

BMS: While the Giants are 2-0, we don’t quite know how good they are so far. They ran effectively against Dallas, but were pretty ineffective against New Orleans. They dominated the Saints, but won with a last second field goal because they were their own worst enemy (three fumbles, a missed field goal, a failed fourth and goal, and drive killing penalties). Marshall Newhouse graded out at the best offensive lineman in the league in Week 1, but looked lost at times in Week 2 (he is out for Sunday).

As for Washington, they are a desperate team. Even at 0-2, a win on Sunday and the Browns in Week 4 could put them at a manageable 2-2. But 0-3, with two losses in the division, that’s the stuff that murders your season early. Look for who is able to get off to the quick start on Sunday. If it’s the Redskins, all the doubt could creep away and they could have a good shot in this one. But if the Giants start strong, that could be the nudge Washington needs to go from desperate to careless.

A great find on youtube, a film (in color!) of the Oct. 13 1946 game between the Washington Redskins and New York Football Giants from Griffith Stadium in D.C. Sammy Baugh led Washington a 24-14 win over New York (Pro Football Reference boxscore).

The half-time show and other festivities get more attention than the first game. A second game, featuring a trip to Philadelphia’s Shibe Park for an Eagles game, is also featured. Even weirder is a 1947 game against the Green Bay Packers in Baltimore.

The narration is by Harry Wiese, long-time Skins radio play-by-play man and future owner of the AFL’s New York Titans.

Another great voice has left us — Pat Summerall, who for so many years handled play-by-play for NFC football games along side John Madden on CBS and then FOX. Prior to my time, it was Tom Brookshier working with Summerall. It seemed every autumn Sunday, Summerall and Madden would be in some NFC East city or maybe Chicago or San Francisco doing the 4 p.m. game which we watched by a roaring fire. As television memories go, they were some of the best.

Summerall was a rather restrained in his play-by-play, mostly letting the picture tell the story. His smooth voice added excitement and gravitas that somebody like Joe Buck could only dream of having. Summerall also knew that he was the straight man, setting up John Madden‘s excitable and thorough analysis. In their prime, they were the best and it wasn’t close. The pairing was the measuring stick for how important the game was — when the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys had a Sunday game without Summerall and Madden, it was a story in D.C.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can still hear Summerall winding down a broadcast with “Stay tuned for “60 Minutes” followed by “Murder She Wrote” and the CBS Sunday Night Movie… (EXCEPT ON THE WEST COAST)” He was a natural. In addition to football, Summerall also did golf and tennis for CBS.

When FOX shocked everybody by taking over the NFC rights, Summerall and Madden moved over to the fourth network, lending more credibility to its coverage than it deserved. As much as I may have liked the Simpsons, it was still a bit grating to hear Summerall promote “Married…with Children, the Simpsons, etc.” It wasn’t long after the switch to FOX that Summerall began a decline, mostly due to age.

Before becoming a sportscaster, Summerall was a kicker in the NFL, mostly with the Chicago Cardinals, but most famously with the New York Football Giants. In fact, one of the surprising things about long-time Yankee Stadium p.a. announcer Bob Sheppard was that when asked about his favorite moment it wasn’t about the Yankees:

Mara recalled how Phil Rizzuto once asked Sheppard on TV during a rain delay for his fondest Yankee Stadium moment.

“Much to The Scooter’s dismay, Bob replied, ‘The day Summerall kicked the field goal in the snow to beat Cleveland in 1958,’” Mara said.

Green again, one week later. Maybe not the best example, but I don’t think many Washingtonians will complain…

Week 15 of the 1983 season opener between the Redskins vs. Cowboys

The beginning of the last CBS broadcast, the 1993 NFC Championship Game. The pool halls scene is nothing special , but what follows is perfect Summerall narration and a subtle, but appropriate sendoff.

BMS: Yeah, it’s a shame we got swept by the Redskins last year. Wait a second, let me just pause my New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI Champions DVD. Honestly, if getting swept by the Redskins means we win the Super Bowl, sign me up for 0-infinity against the Skins in the regular season till the end of time.

As for the Redskins and Cowboys getting fined, they were among all the owners who agreed to not use the uncapped year to generate a competitive advantage, then still did it. They deserved to be fined for sheer pompousness alone! Now, was it collusion? Probably. Would Synder and Jones had won if they took the case to court. Likely. But the two were at least smart enough to know that suing the rest of the league probably wasn’t in their teams’ best interests.

WFY: Surprise! The Redskins are 3-3 because Robert Griffin III is already a game-changing QB. They score over 30 points a game. How concerned are you about them? Do you think the Giants can stop RGIII or merely hope to contain him? Is there anything else scary about the Redskins?

BMS: RG3 is quite a dynamic player (he’s on my fantasy team and helped me beat Sam last week), which was obvious by how badly the Redskins sucked after he got knocked out versus the Falcons. I doubt the Giants defense can stop him, but they had some success against Cam Newton and to a lesser extent, against Michael Vick, in forcing the quarterbacks to beat them with their arms, not their feet. So I hope they can slow him down some.

WFY: What are the best and worst units on the Giants?

It’s easy to say what the best unit is on the Giants. Quarterback. Eli Manning is a top 3 quarterback at this point. He’s cut down on interceptions, and even when he does throw them, he’s out their next series slinging the ball around again, the previous mishap now a thing of the past. Look how he threw three interceptions in the first half against the Bucs earlier this year. With most quarterbacks, they would have basically closed up shop after that. But instead, Manning leads a huge second half comeback, and falls four yards short of tying Phil Simms’ franchise record for more yard passing in a single game. The man is a leader. He makes his receivers so much better, which is something everyone also says about his brother. What has Kevin Boss done since he left? What has Steve Smith done? Meanwhile, Martellus Bennett is on pace for a career year at tight end, Cruz and Nicks may be the best one-two wideout tandem in the league, and guys like Ramses Barden and Rueben Randle is having big games.

BMS: The worse unit may be the secondary, which is been hit against with injury after injury. It really relies on the defensive front to generate pressure. But if the QB gets time, they can easily give up yards. Michael Vick has been a turnover machine all season, but without players getting in his face a few weeks back, the Eagles don’t commit a single turnover against the Giants.

WFY: Has Tom Coughlin passed Bill Parcells as best modern Giants coach?

Tom Coughlin just passed Bill Parcells last week in career wins as the head coach of the Giants. I think one more Lombardi will cement him surpassing Parcells’ legacy.

WFY: If the Giants are Big Blue, how come they have a white jersey with no blue on it, but lots of red? Do you like that jersey? What about the alt red jersey?

BMS: I love both Giants’ home and away jerseys. They are Big Blue, but their colors are red, white, and blue (so patriotic!), and to a lesser extent, gray. They haven’t worn the red jersey in years, and supposedly had retired it, although there was a rumor in the offseason that it might make a reappearance this season. I hate the red jersey. If they want an alternate home jersey, why not the Big Blue uniforms from the 80s, complete with the helmet with GIANTS in the side. Although I like the current jersey and helmet design the best.

WFY: What Giants jerseys and other gear do you own?

BMS: Of current players, I owe two Eli away jerseys (forgot I had the one and got a second), and two Eli home jerseys (one is an authentic jersey with the captain patch and Super Bowl XLVI patch).

WFY: Please rank the Giants rivalries in the NFC East. Are there any inter-divisional rivals that are more important to you than intra-divisional rivalries?

BMS: As for divisional rivalries, Giants-Redskins rank at the bottom, although some of that is due to the lack of success the Redskins have had over the years. Nothing beats Giants-Eagles. As a Yankees fan, I hate the Eagles more than the Red Sox. When Xander’s original first grade teacher tried to turn him into an Eagles’ fan, I had to inform him that Eagles’ fans hate Santa Claus, and that the Eagles hate puppies. Giants-Cowboys is in the middle. I really dislike the Cowboys. But i don’t hate them. I don’t feel ill when we lose to them.

WFY: Prediction?

BMS: The Giants are coming off a big win in San Francisco last weekend, and look ahead to a rematch with the Cowboys, so I can see the Giants giving a subpar performance and losing to the Redskins, But I think RG3 adds a lot of interest to this game, so I don’t feel it’s like a classic letdown game. My guess, the Redskins get a lead, the Giants come back. You’re never truly our of a game when you have Eli Manning, and I predict a late fourth quarter comeback and a 24-23 Giants victory.

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When I was 9 years old, we visited our former neighbors in their new Michigan home for Thanksgiving. According to Bruce Campbell, we didn’t celebrate the right way.

Later that weekend, we piled into the back of a Chevy station wagon (diesel even) and drove through Detroit to Windsor, Ont. just to say we went to Canada, I guess. We had McDonald’s and since it was warm, the back window was rolled down. J.J. shot spitballs onto the Canadian street. Then we got stuck in traffic crossing the Ambassador Bridge and I half-ate a Snickers.